The Eucharist at the Cathedral Parish

Jesus said: “‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’ …Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. …Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him’” (John 6:51, 53, 54, 56, NAB).

The celebration of the Eucharist (the Mass) is the “source and summit” of the Christian life. The Mass is at the center of the life of every parish. Here at the Cathedral Parish, we express the importance of the Mass by celebrating the Eucharist very frequently, with as much beauty and reverence as possible.

Because we are celebrating the Eucharist every day in two churches, and in Spanish as well as English, our Mass schedule is a bit complicated. And there is one other unique feature of our liturgical life here at our parish: Bishop Morlino’s frequent presence at the 11 am Sunday Mass at St. Patrick.

Those who are not Catholic should feel very welcome to attend Mass anytime. You can learn a lot about what it means to be Catholic by coming to Mass – on any day, but especially on Sunday. There is no need to be self-conscious . . . Catholics are notoriously low-key about visitors. No one will start asking you a lot of personal questions; you won’t have to stand up and introduce yourself. You can just watch what is going on and pray in your own words during the quiet parts of the Mass. The one thing you should know is that when people go forward to receive Holy Communion, you should not do so. If you decide to become a Catholic, you will be preparing for the great day when you will enter the Church and receive Holy Communion for the first time.